Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Experiments and Results: Targeted vs. Untargeted Traffic

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2006-2008 Trey Pennewell



Most webmasters are always looking for new and inventive ways to drive traffic to their website. There are many proven methods of getting the traffic to a website, but if that new increase in traffic does not convert into sales, then is it still worth the effort that you put into getting that traffic?

I had a discussion recently with a colleague about generating traffic from outside of our target market. As a result of our discussion, we decided that we certainly could utilize various markets to get a huge boost in traffic, but since this traffic would likely not result in any conversions, that there was really no point in spending the time and effort on going after that traffic.

In a previous "experiment" on one of my websites, I started using the social networking tactic to generate traffic. I bookmarked a page of my site and submitted to many of the standard sites like, www.digg.com, www.reddit.com, www.furl.net, www.spurl.net, etc.

By doing this, I was able to get a huge increase in traffic to the site for a couple of days. The problem is, that I did not get one single conversion from this new traffic. I used a catchy headline and a good description of the article that I submitted to the social networking sites, good enough to get people to come visit the page anyway. But with the lack of getting a single conversion, it really did not seem worthwhile to me to do again in the future.

Now I know that some of you might be thinking, "Well, his sales pitch must be terrible" or that "His website is poorly designed." If this were the case, I would have no problem admitting to this, but when I compare the untargeted traffic that I received from the social book marking sites to the targeted traffic that I see from organic searches I can see a big difference in conversion rates. The targeted traffic that comes from organic searches generally results in a 5-8% conversion rate. The untargeted traffic resulted in a 0% conversion rate.


How To Talk To Prospects Who Are In Your Target Market

The above results lead me to believe that a much better use of my time would be to focus more on the targeted market and to stop wasting time on the untargeted visitors. There are many techniques that can be used to find prospects in your target market. Many of these techniques are old news to experienced webmasters.

Some of these methods include contextual marketing through programs such as AdWords, posting on relevant forums, improving your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for the organic traffic, and submitting articles to article repositories. You can also buy paid advertising in newsletters that cater to the people who are most likely to buy your products or services. These are just a handful of the methods that a Webmaster could utilize to get in touch with his or her target market.

Each of the above listed methods has their pros and cons.

Time commitment and ongoing financial commitments are two of the cons that are mentioned on a regular basis.

The pros given with all five typically represent tightly targeted traffic, suitably primed for conversion to paying customers.


The Dick Cheney Analogy

The Dick Cheney analogy has often been used to talk about this subject. Should you use the Rifle Approach or the Shotgun Approach?

The Rifle Approach lets you pinpoint your target and to hit it with great accuracy and frequency. The Shotgun Approach is sending a number or projectiles into a flock of birds and hoping you hit something. Dick Cheney proved that the shotgun sometimes hits its mark. (tongue-in-cheek people, tongue-in-cheek.)

For example, if you are selling health related products, then a media buy in WebMD would make good sense. People browsing WebMD are already interested in health and therefore are more likely to buy your health related products. People who are browsing on Myspace are not motivated to think about their own health at the time they see your ad, so your chances of success with Myspace ads are greatly diminished.

So, if you are going to expend time and money to attract visitors to your website, shouldn't you take care to primarily target people who are most likely to buy what you are selling?


Playing The Odds To Our Favor

Sure, a shotgun approach can sometimes hit its mark; we know that. But, if your cost for advertising or time expense is exactly the same, why aim for 1-2% when you know you can hit 5-8% doing something else?

We still mix-and-match our advertising approach. We aim most of our projectiles at the 5-8% conversion targets. We still aim a few projectiles at the 1-2% conversion prospects, because it allows us to reach people that we may not be able to reach otherwise. But, any method that we use that consistently turns 0% is taken off of our plate forever.


About the Author:
Trey Pennewell is a writer, who writes about online marketing. Learn more about our Pay For Ranking SEO services at: http://www.linksandtraffic.com/seo-services/search-marketing.html Trey also manages article approvals at the free article directory located at: http://www.techcentralpublishing.com


Sunday, December 28, 2008

Payday Loans - Convenience and Danger

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2008 Fred Vanhoosen



Every now and then a financial emergency arises that you just did not have planned in your budget. Maybe you had a fender bender with the car and you need cash to get it running, but the check from the insurance company will take a week or so to get here. Or the refrigerator or washer craps out and you don't have the cash to get it repaired, but you also can't afford to be without it. You have run out of money before you ran out of month. Or, you have a once in a lifetime chance to buy something you really, really want at a spectacularly low price, but don't have the cash.

One solution to your "one time only" dilemma could be a Pay Day Loan - this is where loan companies will give you a short-term loan, just until your next payday. If you qualify, many of the companies will lend $100, to as much as $1500, for a short period of time. Mostly what you need to qualify is a job that provides you with a regular paycheck and an active checking account. You will probably need to show them a recent paycheck stub and they will probably call to confirm that you haven't just been laid off and, therefore, have no next paycheck coming.

A loan for a car or a boat, or a mortgage to buy a house, are secured loans - the value of the asset serves as security for repayment of the loan. A Pay Day Loan is an unsecured loan - there is no property to serve as security, only a contractual promise to pay. It is a signature only loan. Usually this kind of loan is for a term of not more than two weeks.

Pay Day Loans may be convenient, if you have an occasional need. But this kind of loan is very expensive. Typically the fee to borrow $100 for two weeks is over $15, more than 15%. The annual percentage rate is staggering.

If you take a Pay Day Loan, the loan company will probably require that you give them a post dated check for the full amount due (including their fees). Come pay day you are expected to show up and pay the amount due in cash - and they will then give you back the post dated check.

If you are not able to pay off the principal amount on the due date, the terms of the loan agreement may allow you the option of renewing the loan by paying just the interest due, bringing your interest cost for borrowing $100 to a total of $30 for four weeks.

If you don't show up to pay off the loan, they deposit your check. If the check bounces, for insufficient funds (possibly why you didn't show up in person), you have even greater trouble - you owe them everything you originally did plus bank fees for a returned check plus their fees for collecting the money owed. And, generally speaking, it is against the law to write a check that is a "bad check". If you do it, legal action can be taken against you - further complications, problems and costs.

If you fail to pay off the loan, as agreed, the loan company can file a lawsuit and obtain a judgment against you. With that judgment they can obtain an order to garnish your wages to collect the debt owed. Generally the contract also makes you liable to reimburse the company for all its legal costs and costs of collection, adding further to the cost of you borrowing.

The most important thing about this kind of credit is to use it only when you need some money for a truly temporary situation and where you can fix the situation very quickly.

You may have heard stories of people who used one credit card to pay off another credit card, then a third to pay off the second, then a fourth to pay off the third, etc., with their debt spiraling totally out of control.

Well, the same kind of thing can happen with Pay Day Loans if you are not careful and responsible in how you handle your finances. This is not a long term, or even intermediate term, financing method. This is a one-time-only emergency funds technique and to use it any other way could be very risky and extremely expensive.

How big is the Pay Day Loan industry? The Center for Responsible Lending (http://www.responsiblelending.org/) reported in 2006 that there were about 25,000 outlets in the U.S. making Pay Day Loans.

If you were considering a Pay Day Loan it would be worthwhile to check it out thoroughly before applying and signing those papers. The Consumer Federation of America is one place where you can get a variety of information to help you evaluate the situation. The information there explains, in detail, the mechanics of a Pay Day Loan. According to the CFA (http://www.paydayloaninfo.org/), industry analysts estimates $40 billion in Pay Day Loans are made every year in the U.S.

No matter where you live, you can probably find a company locally that will make Pay Day Loans. There are also many companies on the Internet, which make these loans. As in any business, there are reliable firms and firms who will try to twist the laws and regulations as far as possible. Companies who operate on the Internet are harder to effectively regulate than companies with a physical office right there on Main Street in your hometown.

If every week in your life is an emergency, if every payday is a panic, then using Pay Day Loans will probably only make a bad situation much worse.

On the other hand,

  • If it is truly a one-time emergency, and

  • You have a clear plan which assures timely pay off of the loan, and

  • You have researched the potential problems, and

  • You have carefully selected a reputable loan company, and

  • You have researched and understand all the terms and conditions of the loan

  • then maybe - just maybe - a Pay Day Loan is the right thing for you to do.




    About the Author:
    Fred Vanhoosen writes about the payday loan / cash advance industry. To learn more about these loan products, we recommend visiting: http://www.fastcash4all.net/


    Thursday, December 25, 2008

    4 Strategies To Help You To Make Money From Your Website

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Trey Pennewell



    People always seem to be looking for new ways to make money online. There is nothing wrong with being innovative and trying new methods to make money online. The problem comes up when people, seeking new methods, forget to pay attention to the proven methods of making money online.

    What has worked in the past for successful webmasters is still working today, and will likely continue to work into the foreseeable future. There are 4 primary areas that a webmaster must focus on to be successful. These four areas are important regardless of the type of website you run or the product or service that you sell.


    Conversions

    Conversions are critical. You can get a million visitors to your site, but that means nothing if none of them make a purchase at your site. Conversions are calculated as the percentage of people that make a purchase at your site, compared to the number of total visitors.

    The higher your conversion rate, the less traffic that you need to your site. Many webmasters struggle with getting that all-important traffic to their site. So instead of exclusively chasing traffic, also work on increasing the amount of traffic that you can convert into sales. There are a number of ways that you can do this with your online business.

    Many webmasters understand that having a compelling sales letter, or sales pitch, is crucial. If you do not have the best possible sales letter, then you are losing potential customers. If you do not feel comfortable writing your own sales letter, consider hiring a copywriter to do it for you. You could also ask the copywriter to develop a few sales letters for your business, and you can do a comparitive analysis to see which ones bring the best conversion results for your business.

    You can also improve your conversion ratio by paying attention to the layout of your web pages. There are a lot of different opinions on the best layouts for selling your products or services. For me there are a couple of easy ways to determine web page layouts.

    The first thing that I consider is what I like and dislike about other websites. Is it hard to find the product on the page? Is the price hidden? Is a description of the product easy to find? Is the ordering information easy to find?

    The other factor that I look at is what successful webmasters before me have done with their layout. There is no need to reinvent the wheel here. Instead of spending weeks trying to develop my own perfect layout, I will start with a template similar to those that are known for making high conversions.


    Linking For Traffic

    Now that we have covered conversions, we can talk about linking for traffic. While your conversions may be very good, it will never be 100%. So what this means is that the more of that precious traffic you get (at whatever conversion rate you are getting) will result in more sales and more money. It is known that the more links you have to your website, the more traffic that you will get. The links to your site are critical in driving traffic.

    First of all, people click those links. I value a link from a high traffic website as much or more than a link from a high PageRank site, because actual humans are likely to be clicking the link to my website. I also place a very high value on having articles published in ezines and newsletters, because it always results in a nice boost in my website's traffic. The amount of traffic that comes as a result of having an article published in an ezine or newsletter will of course vary depending on the number of subscribers on the list.

    A certain percentage of readers will always click the links that I have in a webpage or an ezine. And, a certain percentage of those who visit my website will convert to sales. Having my link appear in some ezines or newsletters can literally translate to thousands or tens of thousands of visitors to my website in a single day!

    If you utilize article distributions, you can often get your articles published on a variety of websites and ezines. These articles will have your link in the author box, and you will also have the opportunity to discuss your web site and the products or services that you offer in your author box. This being said, the more effort you put into writing a good article and author box, the more likely you are to get some traffic as a result.


    Linking Popularity

    Building links for search engine placement purposes is just as important as linking for traffic. The more relevant back links that you have coming into your site, the higher your website will rank in the major search engines for your keywords. Back links are one of the best ways that you can get your online business to rank near the top of the search engines for your niche.

    Be sure to use an anchor text on those links that is the same or similar to the keywords that you are targeting. Also, try to get those back links from relevant sites as much as possible. By this, I mean try to get those links from sites and webpages that have something in common with your site. A link from a webpage about bird watching will have little in common with your website about automobiles.

    To illustrate the importance of back links, look at Digg.com (http://www.google.com/search?q=link%3ahttp%3a%2f%2fdigg%2ecom). They have a whopping 263,000 back links, which is why they are one of the most popular social book marking sites on the Internet.


    Link Baiting

    Link baiting is a great way to get those important back links, both for traffic and for link popularity. But, what is link baiting? It is when you have something so interesting / amusing / informative / useful that people will want to link to you, without you asking them to do so. Having something on your site that people will blog about, tell their friends about, or to send emails to their contacts about, is what constitutes link baiting. Your bait is so powerful that the fish will basically jump into the boat, without you ever needing to ask!

    What kind of things work as link bait? This will depend a lot on the audience that you are trying to reach. In the SEO world, good link bait is placing free webmaster tools on your site. This means that people will bookmark the site; refer to it on forums, and possibly blog about what they learned by using your free webmaster tools.

    If you are able to grow a reputation among your niche market as an expert, people will cite you and your website because of the quality information that you offer. If you run a humor site, people will forward the URL to their friends and tell them to check out a certain page.

    Link baiting is also why the social book marking is exploding in popularity. If you have an article that gets onto the front page of Digg.com via link baiting, you will have an explosion in traffic. The same can be said for all of the major social bookmarking sites.

    Link baiting is all about offering something unique that people will want to tell their friends about and that they will want to talk about. Spend some serious time thinking about what you can offer to your customer base that will result in successful link baiting for your website.


    In Conclusion...

    If you spend your time focusing on these 4 ways to make money with your online business, you are sure to be well ahead of most of your competitors. Optimize your site for conversions, build links for traffic, create links for popularity, and dangle some link bait for others to share, and you will find your customer base beginning to grow, and you will see your sales will start to improve.


    About the Author:
    Trey Pennewell is a writer, who writes about online marketing. Learn more about our Pay For Results SEO services at: http://www.linksandtraffic.com/seo-services/search-marketing.html Trey also manages article approvals at the free article directory located at: http://www.techcentralpublishing.com


    Saturday, December 20, 2008

    Available Loan Products During a Credit Crunch

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2008 Fred Vanhoosen



    Businesses across the country are being forced to close their doors, due to the credit crunch that is preventing those companies from getting the credit lines that they require to maintain operating costs. Other businesses like the auto giants are suffering from lackluster sales, not because they produced a bad product, but because banks tightened the reigns on consumer auto loans, preventing consumers from buying those high-dollar products.

    As we turn on the news each day or pick up our local newspaper, we are inundated with the bad news about the effects of the credit crunch on the larger economy. With so much bad news about the economy, it is easy to believe that the credit crunch is deep running and affecting every sector of the economy. But the truth of the matter is that the credit crunch is pretty much regional in nature and it is only affecting certain types of lending.

    Strong Regional Economies

    According to an April 2008 story by Forbes Magazine, "America's Recession-Proof Cities", some cities have shrinking unemployment, low foreclosure rates, and a growing economic base. The top ten cities were:

    1. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;

    2. San Antonia, Texas;

    3. Austin, Texas;

    4. Houston, Texas;

    5. Charlotte, N.C.;

    6. Dallas, Texas;

    7. San Jose, California;

    8. Raleigh, N.C.;

    9. Salt Lake City, Utah; and

    10. Seattle, Washington.

    In these strong regional economic centers, banks, savings and loans, and credit unions are still loaning money for cars and homes. I should know... I live near one of these top ten cities and we are able to go to our local credit union to get loans for anything we desire.

    Strong Lenders

    Banks are closing credit lines for some of America's largest corporations, and in many locations, banks are withholding money for car loans and home loans. In locations where home foreclosures and car repossessions are high, lending is light. Banks that need to shore up their finances are withholding loans, even to top-rated borrowers. Other banks in a local area might be strong financially, but that strength is offset by an overabundance of caution in a weak economy.

    The lenders who have traditionally been large and strong are now weak, and the lenders who have traditionally been smaller and more conservative are tending to be much stronger financially.

    The smaller finance companies that tend to loan smaller amounts of money are also strong. Since those companies typically do not loan money on the big-ticket items such as cars and homes, they have managed to retain a stronger financial position in the marketplace.

    Even payday loan and cash advance loan companies remain strong in an economy where big loans are hard to find.

    Finding The Right Loan Product

    When you are looking for a loan, it is never recommended to figure out where you can get the money first. Instead, one should figure out exactly how much money is needed, for what purpose, and what terms are acceptable to acquire the money.

    For example, if one needs money to buy a car, a payday loan company will very likely be unable to loan the amount of money needed to actually buy that car. If you are buying a used car for under $3000 or $1500, you might be able to find a payday loan company to give you the money, but you have to honestly ask yourself if you could definitely have the money available to pay that loan back within two weeks. Since payday loans are loan products for people who need emergency cash for two weeks, one should use a regular finance company, bank or credit union to acquire the loan that you need months to pay back.

    You might think that the easier-to-get payday loan might be your solution for a used car loan, but once you roll that loan over a few times, the cost of that money starts to become very expensive. In states like Oklahoma, you would not even be permitted to roll that payday loan over, by state law.

    When you are borrowing money for two weeks or one month, a payday loan is usually a pretty affordable option for getting that emergency cash, but once you start rolling that payday loan over several times, then the cost of the money becomes such that it will easily exceed the cost of money from a finance company or credit union.

    As this example shows, more important than finding a loan is finding a loan that has payment terms that are acceptable and affordable for the borrower. Any loan that cannot be paid back on schedule is a loan that should not be taken.

    Responsible Borrowing

    You owe it to yourself and your family to be responsible with your personal finances. Even when you are looking to borrow money, you should take the extra effort to make sure that the decision you are getting ready to make is one that will not hurt your and your families' financial future.

    This means that you should never borrow any amount of money you cannot afford to pay back on schedule. And while it might be nice to drive a new car, one of those used cars might make better financial sense to buy.

    This is the reason so many families lost homes to foreclosure. People bought more house than they could afford to maintain, and they borrowed so much money that they could barely afford the monthly payments. Their homes suffered because they could not afford to keep up with repairs, and when an emergency expense came up, they found that they could not make all of their bills in that month. Once someone gets behind on payments, it is hard to get caught back up, so the homeowners' finances continued to get worse and worse.

    Eventually, homeowners found themselves so far behind that the bank was threatening foreclosure, and the homeowner was so far behind that foreclosure seemed the best option to them.

    Foreclosed homeowners lost all of the equity that they had managed to build up in their homes, and after struggling for years to keep their homes, they found themselves renting an apartment or a house once again, and their credit ruined.

    Sadly, most foreclosed homeowners could have prevented the loss of their homes, had they only made better decisions when they bought the home. If only they had purchased smaller homes, with smaller monthly payments, they could have prevented the problem, before it became a problem.

    Only borrow what you can afford to pay back, and when you are looking for a loan, make sure that you can live with the terms of that loan.

    In Conclusion...

    With this having been said, there are loans out there available to the consumer. So if you need money for a purchase, there is a chance that you will be able to find the money you need.

    But, you should be careful to only borrow money you can afford to pay back in a timely manner, with terms you are comfortable accepting.

    As the last several years have proven, the only person out there that is going to look out for your best interests is you. So don't let yourself down. Take the time to understand what you need, what you can afford, and the loan terms that are acceptable to you, and then make a responsible decision about what you can and cannot do.

    Invest the effort to look out for your own best interests, and at the end of this current recession, you will find yourself in a better financial position than your neighbors who did not look out for their own best interests.


    About the Author:
    Fred Vanhoosen writes about the pay day loan / cash advance loan industry. To learn more about the cash advance loan products, we recommend reading the following overview of the cash advance loan concept. Learn more at: http://www.fastcash4all.net/


    Thursday, December 11, 2008

    Travel Tip: Ask For a Better Deal

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2008 Anson Werner



    When people go on vacation, they tend to believe they are getting their best deal, when they have shopped different hotels and different venues and found the best advertised price. If you think this way, let me tell you now - in no uncertain terms - you are spending more money than you should have to spend.

    Three Questions Designed To Save You Money

    1. What is the best price you can give me on this room, or whatever?

    2. Is that the best you can do?

    3. If the answer is No, repeat questions one and two.

    Hotels Need To Fill Rooms

    More so in a time of recession, like we are in right now, hotels are desperate to fill rooms. If you are at a hotel with a nearly-packed parking lot, the chances of getting a reduced rate on your hotel room is low. However, if the parking lot at the hotel is less than half full, hotel proprietors are more inclined to jump through hoops to get your business.

    Be prepared for the hotel proprietor who is willing to call your bluff. If you tell the person behind the desk that you "will go elsewhere" if they do not cut the price, be prepared to walk out the door if the answer is "No." More often than not, if your request is met with a "No" at a hotel with few cars in the parking lot, and you start moving towards the door to leave, the hotel proprietor will call you back to the desk, before you reach the front door.

    If the parking lot is full, chances are good that the hotel proprietor will not give you a better deal, even if you ask and threaten to leave.

    The truth is that you don't even need to threaten to leave, in order to secure a better deal. All you need to do is to simply ask. What is the best price you can give me on that room? And, is that the best you can do?

    Is that the best you can do, is a very important question. This is the question that determines what the lowest price really is. The worst that can happen is that you don't get a discount price... That is why you should never threaten to leave, unless you have every intention of carrying out that threat.

    Better Deals Do Not Always Mean Lower Prices

    Suppose your hotel proprietor is willing to give you a free breakfast, if you pay the full price on the room. Breakfast for five at McDonald's generally costs me $15-$20. So a free breakfast meal for staying at one particular hotel still adds up to money saved, so sometimes, full price for a hotel room will save me money.

    One of the best lines in my book of tricks is to wait until the transaction is done, then ask for my "breakfast ticket". Almost universally, the hotel clerk will ask me "what breakfast ticket?" When I respond, I tell the clerk that I always get tickets for a free breakfast when I stay at other hotels. Nine times out of ten, the desk clerk will say "Oh, okay," and pull a breakfast ticket from under their desk. Free breakfast is good enough for me.

    If you are on vacation, as opposed to a business trip, your hotel may have discount coupons available for local attractions. If you are looking to visit a specific attraction, don't be afraid to ask if your hotel has discount tickets available for that attraction. You might be surprised what you hotel might be able to offer to you.

    God Gave You The Ability To Speak And Ask Questions - Don't Be Afraid To Ask

    On March 4, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States was inaugurated into office. He entered the presidency during the midst of a banking panic. In his inaugural speech, he spoke the words he is most famous for today, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

    FDR's words of wisdom are as relevant today, as they were when they were spoken in 1933. The only thing you have to fear from asking questions of hotel proprietors or other attraction venue operators is fear itself. So long as you don't make the mistake of trying to strengthen your question with a threat, you have nothing to fear and money to gain, simply by asking three really easy and simple questions.

    I cannot reiterate this point enough... Don't be afraid to ask for a better price or a better deal. As Ben Franklin was so fond of saying, "A penny saved is a penny earned."


    About the Author:
    Anson Werner is a travel hound. In his desire to find incredible travel deals, he spends his spare time shopping travel offers and learning the rules of the road to help him save money while on vacation. Recent finds include a 3-day/2-night hotel package deal in Las Vegas for $49, and how to get a free cruise for his family. Anson's friends had always asked him about the deals he finds, so he decided to share his knowledge and discoveries in his travel blog at: http://www.shoppingtraveldeals.com/blog/ His work also appears on: http://consumer-tips.blogspot.com/


    Monday, December 8, 2008

    Does Offshoring My Web Design Project Really Save Money?

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2008 Kevin Kielty



    A lot of people in the US are excited about getting web design and development done on the cheap, especially during a recession. Many foreign companies offer $10 - $15 per hour. Is it too good to be true? It can be. Below are some of the pitfalls of a low, low price website and how you can avoid them. Requirements Writing:

    All technical projects begin with a set of requirements. Basically, web design requirements are the objectives that the project must meet. When you begin your web design project, you will most likely be speaking with some type of Project Manager. That person will ask questions about your project. They are not trying to work with you to come up with a business solution, they do not wish to explore your business problems. They expect you to lay out the requirements and tell them exactly what you want. The difficulty here is that technical requirements require a certain level of technical expertise. Most laypeople don't have the experience to properly communicate technical requirements to a technical person.

    Thoroughly think through what you want to accomplish with your web design project. An offshore company won't act as a consultant and make suggestions. They will only give what you specifically ask for and nothing else. So you will need to do your own research, thoroughly think through your project and write out what you want your project to accomplish.

    Language Barriers:

    The second problem that can arise in offshoring a web design project, is the language barrier. If you are able to come up with your own your web design requirements, the next challenge is dealing with a web design project manager for whom English is a second language. Even if your Project Manager seems to be doing a good job, there are still many layers below him or her to which your project will be passed. Those people have even less understanding of the English language than your Project Manager does. In fact, your project will probably be passed off 2 or 3 more times to various people in various departments. With all that handing off and the communication issues, the potential for problems abound. You could end up spending countless hours of your own time doing quality assurance and still not really know what you're going to end up with.

    When considering who to go with, think about weather or not the person you're talking to, really understands you. If you're having trouble communicating with the web design project manager, it's only going to get worse at the next level.

    Project collaboration:

    A design/development project requires a great deal of collaboration and is best done in person. If it cannot be done in person, the next best alternative is to have a very short cycle of collaboration, where the Project Manager or web designer/developer asks questions and you respond immediately. There is momentum to the discussion, followed by immediate action. When offshoring your web design project, you introduce a time delay. That delay can break all the momentum of the project. All of the stop and go can lead to 20 different broken threads or lists going back and forth and much confusion. Quick response time is imperative to project success. If there is a 24-48 hour delay in communication, it can lead to a delay in project completion as well as an increase in the budget, and the quality of the project will suffer. Plan for your project to take extra time. Start out with the assumption that the project will not be ready on time, and that you will need extra time to communicate back and forth to get it done properly. There are definite risks when working with an offshore web designer/developer.
  • It will mean more work for you:

  • You will need to find the best business solution - An offshore designer/developer will not act as a consultant.

  • You will need to do your own research and come up with the best business solution yourself.

  • You will need to write your own web design requirements - You will need to plan your web design project thoroughly and communicate your plans in detail. An offshore designer/developer will only give you what you specifically ask for.

  • It will require more of your time:

  • You will need to plan additional time to ensure that your project is done correctly. Ongoing communication as well as project completion will be delayed due to the time differences and language barriers.

  • The quality of your project can suffer:

  • Communication and cultural differences - Your designer may not understand your product or service the way you assume they do. For example, if they don't have private health insurance in their country, can they build a quality website that will help you sell insurance?

  • You don't have any recourse if you are not happy with the results:

  • American laws won't protect you if you are unhappy with your website. If you are going to spend over $1,000.00 on your web design project, then you may not want to risk going with an offshore designer/developer.




  • About the Author:
    Kevin Kielty lives in Raleigh, NC. Web Design and Search Engine Marketing are his areas of expertise. He is the owner of Internet Marketing Advantage where he utilizes his 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and web development in Raleigh NC http://www.raleighseocompany.net/category/raleigh-web-design/ to provide business owners with web design and Internet marketing solutions that increase their profits. His company serves clients in North Carolina and across the US. http://www.raleighseocompany.net/


    Wednesday, December 3, 2008

    Architectural Lettering In Our Modern Age

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2008 Morris Timlen



    In these days of discount stores, we are most familiar with the lettering we can buy at the store, which can be glued to any surface. But unless you are an architect, few people think about architectural lettering as a modern-day method of adding information to a landmark.

    The Historical Past

    Through centuries of historical architecture, architectural letting has always been an integral part of a buildings' design. It wasn't until the modern generation where people began to put less focus on aesthetic beauty in design and more focus on the functional use of the space, within specific budget parameters.

    As sheet metal began to replace brick on a storefront, the ornate architectural lettering of yesteryear started to pass away. As neon began to replace signs on the main streets of America, old-world beauty and function began to be replaced by glitz and flash.

    According to the American Institute of Graphic Arts, architectural lettering began to disappear from buildings immediately after WWII, with the rise of the International Style of architecture.

    Famous Architectural Lettering On Buildings

    Probably the most famous architectural lettering in the world is the words "New York Stock Exchange", carved into the marble above the doorway of this world-renowned building at the corner of Wall and Broad Street. (http://www.nyc-architecture.com/LM/036H.jpg)

    But, architectural lettering is not limited to Wall Street in NYC. Most post offices, court houses, and other government buildings in small towns across America, if built before the 1960's and built in the style of the Greek Acropolis, will have architectural lettering on the outside of the building, above the Greek-inspired pillars at the front of the building (see: http://www.architecturestockphotos.com/slides/ADT1173.jpg and http://www.teslasociety.com/pictures/engineers/ny_library2.jpg).

    The New Style Of Signage And Architectural Lettering

    Prior to WWII, the signage was engraved directly into the building. Since WWII, the physical location of the business became more transient, and businesses began renting office and retail space, rather than constructing their own buildings.

    But, businesses still need to tell their customers where they are located and what the name of their business is.

    In modern day, most of us tend to think about signage in terms of the plastic, backlit type signs as used by McDonald's, Burger King, and Wal-Mart.

    Other companies that offer a bit more permanence prefer to utilize the modern-style of architectural lettering that is often preferred by hospitals, banks, major corporations, and municipalities around the country. (Examples: http://socalbronze.com/images/bronze1b.jpg and http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/illinois/chicago/ibm/5.jpg)

    Many Styles Of Signage Lettering

    Whether used indoor or outdoor, a lot of variety can be brought into the decision on how to present a message to one's potential and existing customers.

    Plastic, neon, acrylic, aluminum, bronze, brass, zinc, and stainless steel can be used outside or inside a building. Indoor signage can also use glass and wood lettering.

    Architects, building managers and marketers understand the importance of using signage inside and outside of a building, but more importantly, they understand the importance of making the signage match the style and prominence of the building to which the signage is affixed.

    The Graphics Designer

    A graphics designer is nearly as important as the choice of materials used in the architectural signage. A graphics designer, who understands the implementation of architectural lettering, can put together the right fonts, font sizes, font spacing, and coloration mixtures, to ensure that an architectural sign not only tells the story that it needs to tell, but also does so with style and elegance.

    Think back to the IBM logo. The logo tells the story of the IBM in its styling, and it was so potent that we all remember the way it looks and the business it represents. That is one of the benefits of finding and hiring a good logo designer (graphics designer).

    With the best display of your company name in your company's signage, your business name can stand out and still tell the message of your business. Your choice in a graphics designer will ensure that your message is told in a way that best represents your business.

    A Difference In Style

    Consider the signage of McDonald's restaurants. Its red message board and yellow "M" is known around the world. A great logo and signage design has that kind of power - the power to help your company to be recognized as a "stand out" in a sea of commercial signs.

    Of course, the McDonald's signage is one that is pressed from one sheet of plastic to be displayed at thousands of worldwide locations. Its thousands of signs are mass-produced, just as its billions of hamburgers served have been made. The important point to make here is that even McDonald's customers realize that their signage is mass-produced.

    When architectural lettering is used in signage, a business has the opportunity to show its company as having more depth than a cookie-cutter business model. Not only does architectural lettering bring a three dimensional effect to one's signage, but consumers see it as an indication that the business may bring more commitment to its customer service than what has come to be expected from cookie cutter type businesses.

    Forget The Can Of Paint

    When it is time to put a sign in front of your business, please forget the can of paint. Yes, a can of paint might be cheaper, but a can of paint and a hand-painted sign might leave your potential customers' with a sense of unease about the permanence of your business.

    Architectural lettering will permit you to design a sign that exhibits class, style and permanence in the minds of consumers, and if you take the time to explore the possibility, you might just find that it is not nearly as expensive as you might imagine.




    About the Author:
    Morris Timlen maintains the Bronze Plaques Blog, which specializes in the study of the history and style of commercial signs, and the many materials used in architectural lettering, including bronze, plastic, neon, acrylic, aluminum, brass, zinc, stainless steel, wood and glass. If you are in need of commercial signage for your business, please visit Morris's website for more information: http://www.bronzeplaquesblog.com